Farmer's Wife 1930s - playing catch up

I got 3 more blocks done last night. I still have 4 more to go if I want to catch up, but that's a big if at this point. ;) As I mentioned in my last post, there are some big changes going on so right now the priority is Christmas presents. Everything else will happen whenever I get to it. ;)

I've been using Lori's tutorials over at Bee in my Bonnet to draft some of the blocks for rotary cutting. If you have time definitely check them out, they are very helpful.

#13 - Belle

Oh Belle, you frustrating thing you. There's 3 different ways to sew this block: by the book (with Y-seams), Kerry's way and Angie's way. I chose to go with Kerry's way because I liked seeing the complete square in the middle.

If you make it this way, let me save you some trouble (and wasted fabric!): for the two large triangles in the center use a 3" square and cut it diagonally. Match up the center corners and sew from there towards the smaller triangles (there will be excess, just trim it off). Then you can match where the seams meet up (similar to an hourglass) and sew that seam.

I first used a 2-5/8" square which didn't work and ended up getting ripped out. Then I used a 2-7/8" square cut on the diagonal and while one side turned out perfect, the other was a bit short. So my advice to you is to give yourself that extra 1/8" and save your sanity. :)

#78 - Old Maid

I decided to go with the no waste flying geese method and HSTs to get Old Maid. The method I used to create the hourglass gives you two hourglass blocks, so now I have a spare I can use for another block. It's a pretty straight forward block, just be sure to press your seams open to reduce bulk.

#41 - Granny

For Granny I followed Kimberly over at Fat Quarter Shop's Instagram and used HSTs. You use two different sizes, with the smaller size used as an Easy Corner Triangle. It makes it so much simpler. She uses the same method for her Addie block (I'm going to make mine same way). Be sure to bookmark or follow her Instagram for more ideas as she seems to be doing all rotary cutting on her blocks.

I hope my tips are helpful. I will continue to write out my notes as I make my blocks.